CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — James Harris of Cleveland Heights and his 10 youngsters misplaced their spouse and mom Narleen Moore to most cancers final November after which earlier this yr the household additionally misplaced their gasoline and electrical service after getting behind on their invoice.

Harris mentioned the robust post-pandemic economic system additionally had him involved he might lose the household residence, leaving his youngsters with out warmth and electrical energy for greater than two months.

“Trust me all my children know, it’s rough boiling water,” Harris mentioned. “So everybody was walking around with coats, hats blankets.”

“Even when we could use space heaters, I couldn’t sleep at night. I didn’t want somebody to kick the heater over where it could ignite because of furniture in the bedroom.”

Harris mentioned his church, the New Community Bible Fellowship, the Salvation Army, and CHN Housing Partners stepped in to assist. CHN Housing Partners shortly walked Harris via its utility help program, paying down his late payments, placing Harris on a cost plan and restoring the household gasoline and electrical service.

“CHN Housing Partners, they only minimize to the chase, they discovered what was happening they usually got here in,” Harris said. “They wiped it out and got us situated where we could live again. The assistance application process is east, it’s like signing your name. It’s just that simple, there’s nothing hard about it.”

Laurie Leverette, CHN Housing Partners Director of Utilities and Emergency Services, told News 5 a growing number of Northeast Ohio families are having a tough time keeping pace with their utility bills in this post-pandemic economy. Leverette said keeping up with utility bills is crucial in maintaining stable housing for thousands of local families.

“More folks are coming to us that never had to utilize community resources,” Leverette mentioned. “They’re going to us for the primary time ever, they’re now unemployed, underemployed. We cowl lights, gasoline and water, and sewer packages. For instance, a family of 4 can be eligible if the family was round $40,000.”

Anthony Garcia

“We want to ensure housing stability, and utilities are a big piece of that. You don’t want to be in a home where there is no heat, you don’t want to be in a home where the electricity is not on, where there is not a clean, safe water supply.”

Leverette advised News 5 households coping with a utility disaster who’ve been shut-off can name 216-350-8008 for an appointment. Those who’re behind on funds, however nonetheless have service, can file paper functions at CHN places of work or can fax or uploaded info on its web page.

All the knowledge you want about a number of CHN Housing Partners utility assistance programs can be found here.